Project Summary/Abstract The goal of this project is to build at the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (CVMDL) the capacity necessary to profile antibiotic resistance of bacterial and fungal isolates derived from livestock, companion and wild animals. The goal of the project aligns with the US FDA Veterinary Laboratory Investigation and Response Network (Vet-LIRN) efforts on tracking antimicrobial resistance in bacteria from sick animals. To meet the goal of this project we are requesting funds; 1) to acquire an automated system for reading antibiotic susceptibility plates and 2) to support a computational biologist (12 months) that will implement easy-to-use analytical tools (computational algorithms) to further CVMDL existing whole-genome sequencing (WGS) capabilities. The purchase of a BIOMIC V3 (Giles Scientific, CA) system will create the capacity at the CVMDL Microbiology Laboratory to be fully engaged with the Vet-LIRN AST goals. The laboratory does not have an advanced automated system for reading antibiotic susceptibility plates. Whole genome sequencing will be used to genetically characterize bacterial isolates by profiling their resistome (antibiotic resistance genes)/virulence associated genes. The CVMDL has access to and is currently using a next-generation DNA sequencer available to our laboratory. A computational biologist is needed to develop and implement easy-to-use analysis pipelines at the CVMDL Microbiology Laboratory. This know-how will be transferred to CVMDL personnel and included into the laboratory routine.